Business

Wrightbus in talks with global operators after claiming world's most efficient electric double-decker

The Wrightbus StreetDeck Electroliner.
The Wrightbus StreetDeck Electroliner. The Wrightbus StreetDeck Electroliner.

BALLYMENA manufacturer Wrightbus is in talks with transport operators in the USA, Australia, South America and the Far East after declaring its new StreetDeck Electroliner as the most efficient double deck battery-electric bus in the world.

The bus-maker said tests carried out by vehicle testing group UTAC showed the double decker consumes 0.69 kWh per km, around half the energy consumed by its closest BEV (battery electric vehicle) double deck UK rival.

Translink has already ordered 80 of the new electric buses.

Wrightbus said the StreetDeck Electroliner is potentially £14,500 a year cheaper to run than its diesel equivalent. That’s based on the current subsidised diesel price compared with current electricity prices over an annual distance of 80,000km.

The group’s chief executive, Buta Atwal said: “We have already gained a strong reputation for our hydrogen double deck but we want to lead the world in zero-emissions full stop.

“Wrightbus has the best brains in the business when it comes to technology and our StreetDeck Electroliner puts us squarely at the front of the pack.

“We haven’t weighed the bus down with a high battery volume just so we can say it’s got the most power or range; instead, we’ve made it the most efficient vehicle on the road by combining optimum power with a class-leading rapid charge, meaning our electric bus spends more time on the road than any other.”